Even though both sports are known for intense action and rough characters, boxing and poker aren’t usually combined. This didn’t stop Gus Hansen (known as one of the biggest full tilt poker names)and Danish poker pro Theo Jorgensen from duking it out. Both know as skilled poker players in both the online poker and live tournament circuit, did quite well as shown in the video.

By John J. Raspanti: WBA and IBO middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin added the IBF title to his resume by stopping game David Lemieux in round eight at a sold-out Madison Square Garden in New York City Saturday night. The knockout victory was the 21st in a row for the 33-year-old Golovkin. Golovkin (34-0, 31 KOs) showed patience in the opening stanza. He worked behind a stinging jab and added an occasional right hand. Conventional wisdom indicated that Lemieux’s only chance...

By Allan Scotto: Welcome to this week’s edition of “The Barbershop,” a column designed to give you a forum to speak your mind about our question(s) of the week or any boxing-related issue you would like to comment on. We welcome and appreciate your participation, so take a minute; scroll down and leave your comment below. Now on to today’s question(s): It’s on! This Saturday, Gennady Golovkin will face David Lemieux. Many people feel that Lemieux does not stand much of a chance...

By John J. Raspanti: Stan Martyniouk believes he’s a pretty good fighter. Martyniouk won 85 matches as an amateur, eventually winning a bronze medal at the National Golden Gloves in 2007. Martyniouk turned professional soon after, winning his first 10 fights until being upset by Khadpehi Proctor at Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA. in 2010. Since his loss, Martyniouk, 30, has engaged in only four bouts, winning three of them. Martyniouk knows that level of inactivity won’t cut it...

By John J. Raspanti: After an absence of 14 months, Don “Da Bomb” George returns to the squared circle on October 16 to face undefeated light heavyweight Sean Monghan. George, we’ll readily admit, he’s not the best boxer in the world, but he’ll say that nobody has a bigger heart. George is a warrior. He’ll take three punches to land one. He only knows one way to fight, and that’s aggressively. His right hand can explode off in an opponent’s chin—hence the nickname “Da Bomb.”...

Compiled by Allan Scotto: Hey, fans! Welcome to “Ask Gerry Cooney,” where you get to ask former heavyweight contender “Gentleman” Gerry Cooney any boxing-related question you’d like. Your questions for Gerry’s review will be featured at Maxboxing.com every week. Each week, Gerry will answer as many of your questions as he can on the Sirius XM radio show “Friday Night at The Fights,” which Gerry co-hosts with Randy “The Commish” Gordon, former Chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission...

By John J. Raspanti: The third fight between Muhammad Ali and “Smokin” Joe Frazier, which took place a little over 40 years ago at the Araneta Coliseum in the Manila, Philippines wasn’t expected to be what it ultimately was—a battle of incredible will, skill, and determination. Their fight match on March 8, 1971 at the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York City, was aptly called “The Fight of the Century.” It lived up to its billing. Both men were undefeated. Frazier was recognized...

By Ken Hissner: In a world with satellite TV and the internet the world in general has gotten to see many celebrities of every walk of life. Two that come to mind are Elvis Presley and Muhammad Ali. They happened to become friends later in the life of Presley. Two years before Presley passed away he went to Ali’s Deer Lake, PA, training camp. Ali made a statement pertaining to Presley: “Elvis had a robe made for me. I don’t admire nobody but Elvis Presley was the sweetest, most humble and

Compiled by Allan Scotto: Hey, fans! Welcome to “Ask Gerry Cooney,” where you get to ask former heavyweight contender “Gentleman” Gerry Cooney any boxing-related question you’d like. Your questions for Gerry’s review will be featured at Maxboxing.com every week. Each week, Gerry will answer as many of your questions as he can on the Sirius XM radio show “Friday Night at The Fights,” which Gerry co-hosts with Randy “The Commish” Gordon...

By John J. Raspanti: It’s sad to realize that one of the best fighters of the past century, Ezzard Charles, is mostly forgotten. Hollywood made movies about two of his opponents, one of whom he defeated. But Charles has never been the subject of a biography. Until now. Author William Dettloff’s impressively researched Ezzard Charles: A Boxing Life is a hard-hitting, occasionally elegant, biography of one of the most misunderstood pugilists in boxing history. His book is easily the best boxing

Compiled by Allan Scotto: Hey, fans! Welcome to “Ask Gerry Cooney,” where you get to ask former heavyweight contender “Gentleman” Gerry Cooney any boxing-related question you’d like. Your questions for Gerry’s review will be featured at Maxboxing.com every week. Each week, Gerry will answer as many of your questions as he can on the Sirius XM radio show “Friday Night at The Fights,” which Gerry co-hosts with Randy “The Commish” Gordon, former Chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission...

By Allan Scotto: Happy Thursday fans! Welcome to this week’s edition of “The Barbershop,” a column designed to give you a forum to speak your mind about our question(s) of the week or any boxing-related issue you would like to comment on. We welcome and appreciate your participation, so take a minute; scroll down and leave your comment below. Now on to today’s question(s)...

By John J. Raspanti: With the odds heavily against him, Frank Buglioni will attempt to the wrest the WBA super middleweight championship from unbeaten Fedor Chudinov on September 26 at the SSE Arena, Wembley, London, England. The two were originally scheduled to meet on July 24—until Chudinov suffered a broken nose during training camp. Extremely disappointed, Buglioni still fought that night, disposing of Fernando Castanada in five frames...

Compiled by Allan Scotto: Hey, fans! Welcome to “Ask Gerry Cooney,” where you get to ask former heavyweight contender “Gentleman” Gerry Cooney any boxing-related question you’d like. Your questions for Gerry’s review will be featured at Maxboxing.com every week. Each week, Gerry will answer as many of your questions as he can on the Sirius XM radio show “Friday Night at The Fights,” which Gerry co-hosts with Randy “The Commish” Gordon...

By Ken Hissner: It was a long time waiting and too bad that “Smokin” Joe Frazier the former Philly heavyweight champion wasn’t still alive to witness it Saturday outside of the XFINITY Live building at 1100 Pattison Avenue. It drew a good size crowd of boxing people and fans. Speakers included Frazier’s son Marvis, former mayor “Fast” Ed Rendell, current mayor Michael Nutter, former Muhammad Ali team member Bronco Kilroy, among others. Dan Baker did the announcing...

By Allan Scotto: Welcome to this week’s edition of “The Barbershop,” a column designed to give you a forum to speak your mind about our question(s) of the week or any boxing-related issue you would like to comment on. We welcome and appreciate your participation, so take a minute; scroll down and leave your comment below. Now on to today’s question(s): Well, it’s here! This Saturday Floyd Mayweather will fight what he has said will be his last fight. Squaring up against him will be Andre B

By John J. Raspanti: Jamie McDonnell made the first defense of his WBA bantamweight title a successful one by winning a questionable 12-round unanimous decision over Tamoki Kameda at the American Bank Centre in Corpus Christi, TX. Sunday afternoon. All three judges had McDonnell winning comfortably by scores of 116-111, 115-112 and 117-110. The decision did not please the ringside patrons. Maxboxing.com and Doghouseboxing had Kameda the winner by a 114-113 tally...

By John J. Raspanti: Former WBC super-middleweight champion Anthony Dirrell (28-1-1, 22 KOs) pitched a 10-round shutout over veteran Marco Antonio Rubio (59-8, 51 KOs) at the American Bank Centre, in Corpus Christi, Tx. Sunday afternoon. All three judges had Dirrell winning by a 100-90 tally. The quicker Dirrell got off to a fast start in the opening stanza. He jabbed and landed a variety of strong punches to the body and head. Near the end of the round, Dirrell seemed to stun Rubio with three

By Derek Bonnett: The first time Jamie McDonnell and Tomoki Kameda squared off four months ago, the two produced a frontrunner for 2015 Fight of the Year. Part of me hoped Kameda would take the second contest, just to forced a trilogy and the development of a meaningful rivalry at 118 pounds. Apparently, the Premiere Boxing Champion commentary team hoped for the thing.

By John J. Raspanti: A week before the NFL takes over Sundays with a slew of season-opening games, professional boxing will feature the return of former WBC super-middleweight champion Anthony Dirrell and a rematch between WBA bantamweight champion Jamie McDonnell and Tomoki Kameda. Michigan native Dirrell was last seen in the ring four months ago with a shocked look on his face. He’d lost his first professional fight to underdog Badou Jack, and relinquished his world title. But this is a guy

Compiled by Allan Scotto: Hey, fans! Welcome to “Ask Gerry Cooney,” where you get to ask former heavyweight contender “Gentleman” Gerry Cooney any boxing-related question you’d like. Your questions for Gerry’s review will be featured at Maxboxing.com every week. Each week, Gerry will answer as many of your questions as he can on the Sirius XM radio show “Friday Night at The Fights,” which Gerry co-hosts with Randy “The Commish” Gordon, former Chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission...

By John J. Raspanti: They met seven years ago in where else, a boxing gym in Southern California. Both were local products. The two Mexican Americans spared roughly 30 rounds for the next few days. Abner Mares was 22 at the time, Leo Santa Cruz two years younger. Neither will say who had the advantage. When the sparing was over, Mares figured he’d likely fight Santa Cruz again someday in a real fight. “I’ve always thought that when you’re in the gym training with someone around...

By Allan Scotto: Welcome to this week’s edition of “The Barbershop,” a column designed to give you a forum to speak your mind about our question(s) of the week or any boxing-related issue you would like to comment on. We welcome and appreciate your participation, so take a minute; scroll down and leave your comment below. Now on to today’s question(s): This weekend we get to see Abner Mares, 29-1 square off against 30-0 Leo Santa Cruz. On paper it looks like a great match-up. How do you see

Compiled by Allan Scotto: Hey, fans! Welcome to “Ask Gerry Cooney,” where you get to ask former heavyweight contender “Gentleman” Gerry Cooney any boxing-related question you’d like. Your questions for Gerry’s review will be featured at Maxboxing.com every week. Each week, Gerry will answer as many of your questions as he can on the Sirius XM radio show “Friday Night at The Fights,” which Gerry co-hosts with Randy “The Commish” Gordon, former Chairman...

By John J. Raspanti: After disposing of little-known Italian Andrea Di Luisa in the fourth round last Saturday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal, CN., former IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute shouted, “I’m back.” But is he? Bute, 35, hasn’t been the same fighter since being steamrolled by Carl Froch in May 2012. Froch not only beat the tar out of the transplanted Romanian, he took away his mojo. Immediately after the match, Bute talked rematch, but his words rung hollow, especially

By Ken Hissner: There are not enough “super star” boxers in the game today. Now we have one of them in WBA super middleweight champion Andre “S.O.G.” Ward, 28-0, who stepped away from boxing for 19 months due to “promoter problems” coming back and “kinda” calling out people like Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, 33-0, WBA middleweight and WBC interim champion and probably the second best P4P boxer in the world today. He is on a 20 fight knockout streak...

By Ken Hissner: This writer was not familiar with unbeaten Houston super lightweight Regis “Rougarou” Prograis, 15-0 (12), when he entered the ring with a “werewolf” mask on at the Bally’s show in Atlantic City August 7th. But before the night was out the entire room was “wow’d” by his performance as was his unbeaten opponent Amos “Too Smooth” Cowart, 11-0-1, who came in with red spiked hair looking like a rooster! Usually when two southpaws face each other it can be boring but this was

By John J. Raspanti: Though undefeated, Krtsztof Glowacki (25-0, 16 KOs) was given little chance of upsetting defending WBO cruiserweight champion Marco Huck (38-3-1, 26 KOs) last Friday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. Things looked bleak for the challenger when he found himself on his back in round six, courtesy of a wide left hand. But Glowacki, a star in Poland but little known in the United States, was hardly finished. Five rounds later, Glowacki stopped Huck in round 11 to

By Allan Scotto: Hey, fans! Welcome to “Ask Gerry Cooney,” where you get to ask former heavyweight contender “Gentleman” Gerry Cooney any boxing-related question you’d like. Your questions for Gerry’s review will be featured at Maxboxing.com every week. Each week, Gerry will answer as many of your questions as he can on the Sirius XM radio show “Friday Night at The Fights,” which Gerry co-hosts with Randy “The Commish” Gordon, former Chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission...

By John J. Raspanti: New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker began perfecting his world class jab before he hit kindergarten. At the age of 3, he was popping his tiny knuckles into the palm of his father Dempsey, who just happened to be named after legendary heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey. “I don’t remember a time when boxing was not a part of our family life,” Parker told Anson Wainwright of ringtv, “My father Dempsey had always loved boxing and we would always watch the boxing fights on...

By Allan Scotto: Welcome to this week’s edition of “The Barbershop,” a column designed to give you a forum to speak your mind about our question(s) of the week or any boxing-related issue you would like to comment on. We welcome and appreciate your participation, so take a minute; scroll down and leave your comment below. Now on to today’s question(s): In a recent interview with Steven A. Smith on ESPN, Floyd Mayweather stated that he is a much better boxer than Muhammed Ali...

By German Villasenor: La Puente, California’s own, Undefeated Featherweight prospect, Abraham ’’Chamaco’’ Lopez looks to extend 18-0-1 with 13KOs record. Now at 27 years of age, the speedster fighting with the backing of Golden Boy Promotions looks to showcase his skills in the main event this Thursday night at the very popular Belasco Theater down town L.A. Lopez, fighting out of La Puente, California spent most of his career fighting in the Ontario California

By John J. Raspanti: Manual “Tino” Avila has engaged in 17 professional fights. He’s won them all, scoring seven of those wins by knockout. On August 8, Avila, still considered a prospect, will step up in class when he meets Yoandris Salinas at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. Up for grabs is the vacant NABF super bantamweight title. The Cuban-born Salinas (21-2-2, 14 KOs) came within a couple of points of upsetting WBA super featherweight champion Scott Quigg in 2013,

By John J. Raspanti: Light welterweight champion Danny Garcia, fighting as a welterweight for the first time in his career, stopped game Paulie Malignaggi in round nine at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York Saturday night. In round one it was obvious that Garcia (31-0, 18 KOs) was the stronger fighter. He kept Malignaggi (33-7, 7 KOs) on the end of his jab--and also landed two pretty good right hands. Malignaggi did some good work in round two. He connected with a few light, but scoring